


The Beginning of Forever

by C-chan (1001paperboxes)



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Implied Sexual Content, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:08:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28228149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1001paperboxes/pseuds/C-chan
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor
Comments: 2
Kudos: 44
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	The Beginning of Forever

**Author's Note:**

  * For [litalex](https://archiveofourown.org/users/litalex/gifts).



Somewhere, in the back of Alex's mind, he realizes that he should have known that "I bought a brownstone" didn't mean a single townhouse, but an entire unit. And yet, the thought hadn't occurred to him until they moved in that summer, on a hot, sticky, August day that made Alex regret that they hadn't waited a month and a half until the weather had cooled down and Brooklyn was covered in the crisp look and feel of autumn, even if it _had_ meant being fashionably late for law school.

Brooklyn was more humid than Austin in summer. He also should have, but hadn't, accounted for that.

"Please tell me you didn't have to evict, like, five families for this," Alex had said, hand entwined with Henry's as they walked up to the building that would now be their home.

"I didn't. Or, well, _we_ didn't." Henry corrected. "The prior landlord was in the midst of a multi-year restoration. Wanted to gut the place out and rebuild it to a more modern standard. I assume it was going over budget, or perhaps something happened to them to make the continuation untenable. At any rate, my agents stepped in—and later yours as well, of course—and completed the necessary renovations in a way that suited our needs. Made sure the insides were up to a royal standard, and that there were the necessary protections in place, and all that. I believe that the end result is a nice compromise of wants and needs: the townhouse-like setup allows us for some privacy, while also ensuring room for security protocols and the like."

Alex had to admit Henry had a point there.

Shaan had his own apartment right next door, which Zahra had frequent plans to visit. On the other side were two guest suites; one to be semi-permanently occupied by Nora, and occasionally June and Pez, the other was meant for Bea, and Alex's mom, and Henry's mom if she ever chose to visit from across the Atlantic. At each end was a unit designated for security. Alex was already beginning to memorize their names, though he was sure he'd stumble for the first few weeks.

"Anyway," Henry said, "shall we go inside?"

"Yeah," Alex replied with a smirk, "but I've got one condition."

Really, it probably should have been Henry carrying Alex through the threshold. After all, Henry found the brownstone and had paid for both the building and the upgrades. And Henry was certainly strong enough, if Alex was gauging his knowledge of lean muscle under smooth flesh with any degree of accuracy at all. But Alex had given his dibs, and Henry, only very slightly miffed at not having thought of it first, had agreed easily.

And so, Alex managed to get them both through the door with both of them laughing all the way, even _if_ there had been a slight incident in which he'd almost dropped a member of the Royal Family right on his buttocks as Henry worked to unlock the door from his position in a princess carry.

It was then that Alex discovered one of the benefits of living in a freshly-updated brownstone.

"My god, air conditioning has to be the greatest thing known to man." Second, actually, after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Or third, after the way Henry looked when he gave his private smile; one of the ones that he'd never show the press; a little less camera-ready, a lot less self-sure. _God,_ love had made him such a sap.

Henry was giving one of those smiles now as he straightened his clothes, feet once more safely upon the ground. "Yes; the heating and cooling has been improved. All the appliances and furniture are brand new, of course, save for a few notable antiques. And while I can't promise absolute privacy," he grimaced, obviously thinking back to the year before, and all that they'd endured, "I can say that every effort has been made to ensure a high level of security that will minimally affect quality of life. No more than we're used to, at least. Probably a little less, since we're both slightly more expendable than our forebears."

"I'm sure they'll do their best," Alex assured him. "I'm equally sure that we'll find a way to fuck it up somehow anyway."

"Probably," Henry agreed easily, and there was that smile again, and Alex had no choice left but to kiss him, so he did.

He was halfway to pushing Henry against a wall, finally there in the privacy of their own home ( _their own home_ , his mind repeated and his heart sung, full of joy at the thought of those words) when Henry pushed him away.

"Not now," Henry stated, and Alex must have looked shocked, or hurt, because Henry continued, "I mean, yes, of course, I look forward to that too. But I was hoping… perhaps we could tour the place first?"

"We could christen every room," Alex offered, which made Henry groan, even as his ears went pink.

"I'm sure we shall," he agreed after a moment, "but later. Eventually. Over time. The next week, at least." And okay, that made Alex laugh, and all was forgiven.

"For now, however," Henry continued. "I'd like us to just… see everything. Get a feel of the place. Find out if there's anything that seems garishly wrong. And then, if you're still so ready and willing, enjoy our first experience together on a bed meant for us to share before we're due for supper with your family."

"Hmmm," Alex replied, and he pretended to think it over. "You know what, I think I _can_ wait that long."

"Good," Henry replied. "As fun as it might be to have a quickie before we get going, I think we'll appreciate the rest better if we can get through the rest first. Not to mention the better ergonomics." 

"The ergonomics of gay sex," Alex mused. "Sounds like a good book title. Someone should get on that."

"If you're quite finished…"

"Right, right. House tour." Alex supplied. "Well, lead the way, then."

And so Henry did; taking him down to the ground-floor-level basement, which had been converted into a large living area; with wood paneled walls, a big television, a pool table, a bar in one corner and plenty of open space for exercising, or studying, or whatever other activity might require a large open spot. The floors were hardwood and, Alex gave a test jump, possibly sprung? He looked over at Henry, who shrugged.

"Apparently, someone thought there might be some dancing, or at least Zumba, happening here."

Alex tried to imagine a crown prince of England doing Zumba and snorted. "Okay."

The furniture was a mix of leathers and plush seats in a denim blue, accented by red and white pillows and throws.

"Red, white and blue, huh?"

"Yes, well," Henry offered, "the colours are shared by both of our countries. It seemed appropriate."

Alex smiled. "I like it."

"I was hoping you would."

Back up on the main floor was a sitting room; far more formal, and with a desk and a fireplace against one wall, but still done up in the same slightly muted red, white, and blue colour scheme. A set of double doors led into a study with bookshelves only half full ("so there's plenty of room for growth," Henry assured him) and two more desks; a little less formal, but with an air of professionality about them nonetheless. The kitchen and dining room were towards the back, and Alex was sure that if he opened the cupboards, he'd find tea and coffee, cinnamon and sugar, jaffa cakes, and all the ingredients for tres leches side by side, as if they belonged together always.

"Do you even know how to cook?" Alex asked, and Henry looked sheepish.

"Well, there's always an opportunity to learn, isn't there?"

Alex smiled. "Just try not to burn the house down."

"I'll do my best."

And then, all that was left was upstairs. The guest bedroom that would probably rarely see use, but was there anyway just in case they needed it, or if decided they wanted to sleep in separate beds, or just in _another_ bed. The day room, with shelves of fantasy and science fiction novels, mixed in with things like _The Art of War_ and _Pride and Prejudice_.

The master bath, with twin sinks, each lined with their own personal preferences of toiletries; and _his_ and _his_ towels, which someone must have gotten them as a gag gift because there was a star over the i on one set, and a crown over the i on the other.

And then there was just one room left: their bedroom. _Their_ bedroom, and what a thrill that was.

His things were already put away, as were Henry's. It felt almost like moving into the White House in that way, where everything had needed to be vetted before being moved in, essentially resulting in Alex living out of a carry-on suitcase for two days as the rest of his things were vetted and transplanted for him. It felt weird if he thought about it for too long; someone else touching his things, organizing his life. So instead, he shoved that away, turning instead to the gift bag that had been dutifully placed on his nightstand, looking just the way it had when he'd handed it off to Cash who'd exchanged a knowing grin.

"What ho?" Henry asked, as Alex reached for it. "What is that?"

"Something for you, actually," Alex replied, handing it over. "Consider it a Welcome Home present."

"You didn't have to!"

"I know," Alex replied. "Just open it already!"

Henry was beaming as he reached into the bag. 

The expression turned to something else entirely as he pulled out a very large bottle of lube.

"What--Alex--Why?" Henry sputtered as Alex cackled, and _oh_ it was definitely worth it for that expression alone.

"Well, you're always carrying that travel-sized lube with you," Alex explained, trying to keep his composure enough to talk (it was harder than it should've been; Henry was just so _pink_ now!) "I figured we could do with having something larger on hand now that we're not limited to quickies in tack sheds."

"Tack _rooms_ ," Henry corrected, giving Alex a withering look.

"Right, right, tack _rooms_. Anyway, the _real_ present is at the bottom. Look again."

"It's not a box of condoms is it?"

"Not at all," Alex promised. "Just. Look, okay?"

Henry sighed, sat down on the bed, reached back into the bag, and pulled out a small jewelry box.

"Alex?" he asked, countenance changing once again; this time from fond annoyance to confusion, apprehension, _hope_.

"I didn't think it was fair," Alex explained, "that I got a bit of you to carry around, and you had nothing from me. This was my grandfather's. And _his_ grandfather's before that. One of the things Abuelo brought with him to America. I thought you'd like the history."

Henry opened the box. Looked at the ring inside. At Alex. Back at the ring.

"Alex, you know that—"

"I know," Alex supplied. "And this isn't an engagement ring. Even without getting into all the pomp and circumstance that I know is expected of you once we get to that stage, I don't think we're ready for that yet. And _god,_ part of me wishes we were. But logistically, I know that we should try this for a while first. See how we do living together. And then, when your charity is off the ground, and I'm done law school…"

"Yes," Henry agreed. "That… that would probably be for the best."

"But for now," Alex offered, "consider this a promise. A reminder of me when we can't both be right here because I'm in class, or you're off being a prince, or whatever. You can wear it. Or, we can get you a chain like mine. Probably far more expensive than mine. Or you can leave it on the mantle and admire it every day. Whatever you want."

Henry smiled, and his cheeks were pink again, but this time, Alex was sure there was another feeling leaving him flushed.

"Thank you," he said, reaching out to Alex. "That was thoughtful of you indeed."

Soon, Alex would be starting law school, and Henry could see Alex at his worst. And Alex would see what it was like to be _right there_ through Henry's depressive episodes; witness the highs and the lows. There were sure to be great times in this brownstone, and there were sure to be bad ones, and everything in between: loud arguments, burnt toast, passionate sex on every surface, shy and comfortable kisses while marathonning the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Making this house, which already spoke of them more than the White House or Kensing palace ever could, even more theirs through the collection of books and art and a thousand knick-knacks.

But for now, there was a bed. And a promise of some very ergonomic sex.

The rest of forever, like their scheduled dinner with his family, could wait until after they were done.


End file.
